Part time author, blogger - Full time Institute on Disabilities professional.

by Scott Trudo
(Amherst, NH)

This is my story: Scott Trudo, author of Live Your Passion and author of www.liveyourpassion.org

Let me tell you a bit about myself and how I came to create Live Your Passion.



My name is Scott Trudo and I like to describe myself as a "pretty happy guy." I guess I use that label because I view happiness as one of my most important values although I haven't always experienced it.

I'm telling you my story because I'll bet many of you, too, haven't always experienced it. Some of you may be searching for it.

Life was good...

I was born in the late 1950s. I'm a middle aged guy with a loving wife and amazing kids that make me proud every day.

I live in southern New Hampshire, a place I love to call home.

After college I began a career that was what many people in my situation were striving for – secure job, growing industry, clear career ladder, good income, Fortune 500 company.

Life really was good!

In fact, life was so good that by the early 1990s I had developed the skills, knowledge and confidence to leave that secure corporate world and venture out on my own.

I started a small company where I did consulting, management and sales training. I consulted with companies and trained sales people all over the world. I took on a partner, we grew. We traveled. Life was good.

Something changed, life wasn't good anymore...

In 1995 my world changed. An honest observer might have said that it was the beginning of the end, there would be no way back. That observer would be proven wrong, but at the time it was an appropriate conclusion.

I will spare you all the details of my journey but offer the following milestones as they provide a context for my philosophy and my reasons for creating Live Your Passion.

* In 1995 I was deeply depressed due, in part, to a divorce.

* In 1995 I was prescribed and began taking anti-depression medication.

* In 1995 I was misdiagnosed as having bipolar disorder.

* In 1995 my psychiatrist prescribed, and I began taking additional medications to treat bipolar disorder and anxiety.

* By 2002 I had been prescribed over 16 "anti-psychotic," "mood stabilizer" and "anti-anxiety" medications and was taking handfuls of pills daily. My sense of self worth was at an all time low. My life felt out of control by most measures.

Life started to get better, lots better!

In 2002 I left the stressful (some would say glamorous) world of corporate America and began my work as a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at Moore Center Services, a large NH non-profit agency supporting individuals with developmental disabilities.

In this "new life" I found that the real key to happiness is not found in financial gain, but rather, from dedicating your life to serving others. This has become the most important and profound lesson I have learned and has helped me to discover the keys to my happiness and living a life of passion!

In 2006 I experienced near death complications from sleep apnea surgery which included 6 days of unconsciousness, a blood clot in my lung, pneumonia, bone infection, a temporarily paralyzed right arm and a host of other complications.

In the end, I had spent about 2 weeks in the intensive care unit (ICU) and about three weeks in the hospital. While this may sound to you as something that belongs on the "Something changed, life wasn't good anymore" list, it would prove to be a valuable turning point in my life. You see, I was inadvertently (or through forces outside of my consciousness) never given psychiatric medication during my hospital stay.

I wasn't treated as a man with bipolar disorder needing daily medications. My mind became clear and strong. I was happy and grateful to be alive.

In 2006 I was taken off all psychiatric medications by my psychiatrist.

In 2007 I was told by my psychiatrist that I no longer needed to be her patient and that in her opinion, I had been misdiagnosed.

During my life I have visited the deepest blackest holes and experienced the deepest of despair.

I understand what it feels like to entertain what are seemingly seductive thoughts of death. I recognize that these thoughts can become anyone's reality. After all, I was a professional with the income and trappings of "success" and it happened to me.

Life is good, really good again!

Today I live once again as a self described "pretty happy guy!" I have found a true life partner in my wife Cathy and I have some amazing kids!

My work is dedicated to helping others. Professionally, I am still at Moore Center Services but now work as the Director of Workforce Development where I work with a great team of people helping to create a professional, skilled workforce.

When I am not playing that role I am helping others develop themselves personally and professionally by facilitating Live Your Passion workshops, writing and providing personal coaching.

I have a number of causes I care deeply about and feel passionate about. Throughout my life I have had the support of a loving family and good friends. My parents taught me that happiness in life comes in large part from helping those less fortunate than us. While I may not have always understood that concept, today it is a value I live by.

I hope that my story offers you hope and a sense of comfort. You are not alone. You may not be at the crossroads of life. You may not be suffering as I did. You may, however, be interested in what all of us are entitled to – happiness -something you do deserve!

Scott

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